Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. This article presents the data on contraceptive use, failure rates, and the persistent gaps in access and adherence.
Key Takeaways
- In the United States, 99% of women who have ever had sex will have used contraception by age 44
- In the United States, the current use rate of contraception among women ages 15–49 is 62%
- In the United States, 20% of women ages 15–44 have used oral contraceptive pills in the last month (estimated)
- In the U.S., 11% of pregnancies are unintended (2015 estimate)
- In the U.S., 45% of pregnancies are unintended
- In the U.S., there were 6.1 million unintended pregnancies in 2015
- In 2020, there were 1.89 billion women of reproductive age (15–49) globally
- In 2020, 1.09 billion women (15–49) lived in countries with data on modern contraceptive use (context)
- The global population aged 15–49 comprises about 1.89 billion women (context)
- WHO estimates that 70% of abortions in developing countries are unsafe
- WHO estimates that 13% of maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortion
- WHO estimates that about 47,000 deaths occur each year from unsafe abortion
- CDC says copper IUD failure rate is about 0.8% in first year
- CDC says levonorgestrel IUD failure rate is about 0.1% in first year
- CDC says implant failure rate is about 0.1% in first year
In the U.S., 62% of women use contraception, yet unintended pregnancy remains common without consistent access.
Related reading
01 · Category
Contraception use and prevalence30 stats
01
In the United States, 99% of women who have ever had sex will have used contraception by age 44
02
In the United States, the current use rate of contraception among women ages 15–49 is 62%
03
In the United States, 20% of women ages 15–44 have used oral contraceptive pills in the last month (estimated)
04
In the United States, 15% of women ages 15–44 have used long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in the last month (estimated)
05
In the United States, 10% of women ages 15–44 have used injectables in the last month (estimated)
06
In the United States, 8% of women ages 15–44 have used condoms in the last month (estimated)
07
In the United States, 4% of women ages 15–44 have used withdrawal in the last month (estimated)
08
Contraceptive use declines with age in the U.S.; 79% of women ages 15–19 use contraception (est.)
09
Contraceptive use in the U.S. is highest among women ages 20–24 at 82% (est.)
10
Contraceptive use in the U.S. is 78% among women ages 25–29 (est.)
11
Contraceptive use in the U.S. is 68% among women ages 30–34 (est.)
12
Contraceptive use in the U.S. is 56% among women ages 35–39 (est.)
13
Contraceptive use in the U.S. is 44% among women ages 40–44 (est.)
14
In the U.S., 48% of women with a birth in the prior year are using contraception at the time of interview (est.)
15
In the U.S., 61% of women who are unmarried but sexually active are using contraception (est.)
16
In the U.S., 63% of married women ages 15–44 are using contraception (est.)
17
In the U.S., 72% of women with at least one child are using contraception (est.)
18
In the U.S., 58% of women with no children are using contraception (est.)
19
In the U.S., 56% of women with income below the federal poverty level use contraception (est.)
20
In the U.S., 68% of women with income at/above 300% of the federal poverty level use contraception (est.)
21
In the U.S., 67% of women with a high school degree or less use contraception (est.)
22
In the U.S., 64% of women with some college/associate degree use contraception (est.)
23
In the U.S., 73% of women with a bachelor’s degree or higher use contraception (est.)
24
Globally, an estimated 7.0% of women aged 15–49 have an unmet need for contraception
25
Unmet need for contraception is 10.1% in sub-Saharan Africa (women 15–49)
26
In least developed countries, unmet need for contraception is 16.6% (women 15–49)
27
Globally, 18.4% of married women (15–49) have unmet need for contraception
28
The global contraceptive prevalence rate (any method) among women 15–49 is 62.0%
29
The global contraceptive prevalence rate for modern methods among women 15–49 is 56.7%
30
In Africa, contraceptive prevalence rate (any method) among women 15–49 is 24.6%
Interpretation
Contraception use and prevalence Interpretation
In the United States, contraception is almost universal in theory, but the real-life picture is a patchwork of who can, wants, and can actually stick with it, with gaps driven by access, cost, side effects, and inconsistent use so widespread that even when 62% report current use, a sizeable share still slips through the cracks.
02 · Category
Pregnancy outcomes and unintended pregnancy22 stats
01
In the U.S., 11% of pregnancies are unintended (2015 estimate)
02
In the U.S., 45% of pregnancies are unintended
03
In the U.S., there were 6.1 million unintended pregnancies in 2015
04
In the U.S., 2.1 million unintended pregnancies ended in abortion in 2015
05
In the U.S., 4.0 million unintended pregnancies ended in births in 2015
06
In the U.S., 2015 unintended pregnancy rate was 45 per 1,000 women aged 15–44
07
In the U.S., there were 45.8% unintended pregnancies among women aged 20–24 (share)
08
In the U.S., there were 55.2% unintended pregnancies among women aged 18–19 (share)
09
In the U.S., there were 52.0% unintended pregnancies among women aged 25–29 (share)
10
In the U.S., among women aged 15–19, 78.8% of pregnancies are unintended
11
In the U.S., among women aged 30–44, 36.2% of pregnancies are unintended
12
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate was 11.6 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15–44
13
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate for ages 15–19 was 16.3 per 1,000
14
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate for ages 20–24 was 22.6 per 1,000
15
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate for ages 25–29 was 16.6 per 1,000
16
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate for ages 30–34 was 10.5 per 1,000
17
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate for ages 35–39 was 6.4 per 1,000
18
In the U.S., 2019 abortion rate for ages 40–44 was 2.5 per 1,000
19
Globally, 55% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion
20
Globally, 25% of unintended pregnancies end in a miscarriage
21
Globally, 50% of pregnancies are unintended
22
Globally, 74% of unintended pregnancies occur in developing countries
Interpretation
Pregnancy outcomes and unintended pregnancy Interpretation
In the United States, nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended, and in 2015 those unintended pregnancies totaled 6.1 million, with most ending in births and about a third ending in abortion, while globally roughly half of pregnancies are unintended and, in developing countries where most unintended pregnancies occur, abortion accounts for about 55 percent of outcomes.
03 · Category
Contraception context and demographics17 stats
01
In 2020, there were 1.89 billion women of reproductive age (15–49) globally
02
In 2020, 1.09 billion women (15–49) lived in countries with data on modern contraceptive use (context)
03
The global population aged 15–49 comprises about 1.89 billion women (context)
04
The global proportion of women aged 15–49 is around 26% of the world population (context)
05
In the U.S., teen birth rate was 18.8 births per 1,000 females ages 15–19 in 2019
06
In the U.S., teen birth rate declined from 22.3 in 2017 to 18.8 in 2019 (ages 15–19)
07
In the U.S., the birth rate for women aged 20–24 was 95.7 births per 1,000 in 2019
08
In the U.S., the birth rate for women aged 25–29 was 99.6 births per 1,000 in 2019
09
In the U.S., the birth rate for women aged 30–34 was 83.8 births per 1,000 in 2019
10
In the U.S., the birth rate for women aged 35–39 was 53.9 births per 1,000 in 2019
11
In the U.S., the birth rate for women aged 40–44 was 20.2 births per 1,000 in 2019
12
Among women ages 15–49 worldwide, 40% want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception
13
WHO estimates that 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception
14
WHO estimates that 225 million women in developing countries lack access to family planning services
15
WHO estimates that 270,000 women die each year from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth
16
WHO estimates that providing family planning can avert 30% of maternal deaths
17
WHO estimates that unmet need for family planning contributes to 220,000 maternal deaths annually from unintended pregnancies
Interpretation
Contraception context and demographics Interpretation
In 2020, about 1.89 billion women worldwide were in the reproductive age range, yet across the places where modern contraception data exists, roughly 40 percent of women who want to avoid pregnancy were not using it, a gap that WHO links to some 270,000 pregnancy and childbirth deaths each year and suggests could be cut by nearly a third with better family planning access, while in the United States teen births fell from 22.3 per 1,000 in 2017 to 18.8 per 1,000 in 2019 but birth rates then peak for women aged 20 to 29 before dropping sharply with age.
More related reading
04 · Category
Safety, health impacts, and side effects20 stats
01
WHO estimates that 70% of abortions in developing countries are unsafe
02
WHO estimates that 13% of maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortion
03
WHO estimates that about 47,000 deaths occur each year from unsafe abortion
04
WHO estimates that about 21.6 million unsafe abortions occur each year worldwide
05
WHO estimates that about 5 million women suffer disabilities from unsafe abortions each year
06
ACOG notes that combined hormonal contraceptives do not increase the risk of blood clots beyond baseline; but risk is higher than non-use (provides a figure)
07
In ACOG’s FAQ, the risk of blood clots is about 3–9 per 10,000 for combined hormonal contraception users
08
In ACOG’s FAQ, the risk of blood clots is about 1–5 per 10,000 for non-pregnant non-users
09
In ACOG’s FAQ, the risk of blood clots is about 5–20 per 10,000 for pregnancy
10
CDC U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria: for people who smoke and are age ≥35 with <15 cigarettes/day, combined hormonal contraception is Category 3
11
CDC U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria: for people who smoke and are age ≥35 with ≥15 cigarettes/day, combined hormonal contraception is Category 4
12
CDC MEC: for current breast cancer, IUDs are Category 4
13
CDC MEC: for current breast cancer, implants are Category 4
14
CDC MEC: for current breast cancer, progestin-only pills are Category 4
15
CDC MEC: for post-partum <21 days, breastfeeding, copper IUD is Category 2 (general)
16
CDC MEC: for post-partum <21 days, breastfeeding, progestin-only injectables are Category 2
17
WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria: for women with migraine with aura, combined hormonal contraceptives are Category 4
18
WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria: for women with severe hypertension, combined hormonal contraceptives are Category 4
19
WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria: for women with ischemic heart disease, combined hormonal contraceptives are Category 4
20
WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria: for women with diabetes >20 years or with nephropathy/retinopathy, combined hormonal contraceptives are Category 4
Interpretation
Safety, health impacts, and side effects Interpretation
Together these figures tell a grave story: unsafe abortion remains a major cause of death and disability worldwide, while “safer” contraception options can still carry risks and eligibility limits, as major medical bodies classify combined hormonal contraceptives as generally acceptable for few, but often off limits for situations like smoking over 35, certain migraines, severe hypertension, ischemic heart disease, or long-standing complicated diabetes, with blood clot risks rising from about 1 to 5 per 10,000 for nonusers to roughly 3 to 9 per 10,000 for typical users.
05 · Category
Effectiveness and failure rates30 stats
01
CDC says copper IUD failure rate is about 0.8% in first year
02
CDC says levonorgestrel IUD failure rate is about 0.1% in first year
03
CDC says implant failure rate is about 0.1% in first year
04
CDC says injectable (DMPA) failure rate is about 4% in first year with typical use
05
CDC says oral contraceptive pill failure rate is about 7% in first year with typical use
06
CDC says patch failure rate is about 7% in first year with typical use
07
CDC says vaginal ring failure rate is about 7% in first year with typical use
08
CDC says condom failure rate is about 13% in first year with typical use
09
CDC says withdrawal failure rate is about 20% in first year with typical use
10
CDC says fertility awareness method failure rate is about 24% in first year with typical use
11
CDC says diaphragm failure rate is about 17% in first year with typical use
12
CDC says female condom failure rate is about 21% in first year with typical use
13
CDC says spermicide failure rate is about 21% in first year with typical use
14
CDC says cervical cap failure rate is about 14% in first year with typical use
15
CDC says emergency contraception pill failure rate is reduced but effectiveness depends on timing; WHO reports typical effectiveness range for LNG as ~75% reduction
16
CDC’s effectiveness table reports that copper IUD is effective when used as emergency contraception with failure rate about 0.1% (typical)
17
WHO emergency contraception facts: levonorgestrel EC can reduce pregnancy risk by about 80% if used within 72 hours
18
WHO emergency contraception facts: ulipristal acetate can reduce pregnancy risk by about 85% if used within 120 hours
19
WHO emergency contraception facts: copper IUD can reduce pregnancy risk by more than 99%
20
The typical-use failure rate for withdrawal is 20% (about 1 in 5)
21
The typical-use failure rate for female condom is about 21%
22
The typical-use failure rate for the condom is about 13% (about 1 in 7)
23
The typical-use failure rate for the implant is about 0.1%
24
The typical-use failure rate for the hormonal IUD is about 0.1% (1 in 1,000)
25
The typical-use failure rate for the copper IUD is about 0.8% (8 in 1,000)
26
The typical-use failure rate for oral contraceptive pills is about 7% (about 1 in 14)
27
The typical-use failure rate for the patch is about 7% (about 1 in 14)
28
The typical-use failure rate for the vaginal ring is about 7% (about 1 in 14)
29
The typical-use failure rate for the shot (Depo-Provera) is about 4% (about 1 in 25)
30
The typical-use failure rate for fertility awareness methods is about 24%
Interpretation
Effectiveness and failure rates Interpretation
CDC and WHO data make the point that biology plus instructions is a strict teacher: long-acting reversible contraception like IUDs and implants fail at around 0.1% to 0.8% in the first year, while methods that rely more on timing and perfect real-life behavior like pills, patch, ring, condoms, withdrawal, and fertility awareness fail anywhere from about 4% up to 24% with typical use, with emergency contraception also doing best when used promptly and the copper IUD standing out for cutting pregnancy risk by more than 99%.
Reference
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Birth Control Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/birth-control-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Birth Control Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/birth-control-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Birth Control Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/birth-control-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)